ABSTRACT
There is a common idiom that says to follow your true north; that is, know your guiding principles, and as you come to decision points, keep those principles in mind and make decisions based on those principles. True north is different from magnetic north, which is the north you read on a compass that in actuality is constantly changing. In simplistic terms, true north is the north on a map-it does not change. The advice to follow true north may be applied to running a program; the true north in program management is corporate strategy. As a program manager, you need to understand how the program ties to corporate strategy-the why it is being pursued. As challenges come up through the course of the program, you will be able to refer back to this link to strategy, and use these organizational guiding principles to drive decision making and stakeholder alignment. Given this challenge, on your first day assigned to a program or a potential program, the first order of business should be to understand why the program is being pursued and how it benefits the organization; this will be your program’s true north, which may then be used to set and manage stakeholder expectations. You must take the necessary time to really understand purpose. It is easy to skip right past this step and jump into program-specific goals and objectives; do not fall into this trap. Again, how the program ties to corporate strategy, why it is being pursued, is your true north and will be the driver behind every major decision throughout the duration of your assignment.
